Cleaning metal salts of intermediate length carboxylic acids from surfaces
AssigneeHenkel Corporation
InventorsRichard J. Church, Kenneth J. Hacias
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Problems of extensive foaming and/or of sticky deposits on process equipment that often arise when metal soaps from metal articles that have been given a metal soap containing surface to aid in drawing are removed with aqueous alkaline clearners can be avoided by including in the cleaners used anions such as calcium and magnesium that are capable of precipitating the anions of the metal soaps. The cleaners advantageously also contain chelants, a mixture of nonionic and anionic surfactants, and phosphorus containing anions. Anions from the metal soaps are eventually precipitated from the cleaners used as non-sticky sludge that can be easily separated from the cleaners.
Claims10
An aqueous liquid alkaline cleaning composition suitable, directly or being diluted with water, for cleaning soils from a surface of an article, said soils including therein a solid, intermediate length carboxylic acid or salt thereof, the aqueous liquid alkaline cleaning composition comprising:
- (A) 3% to 27.5% of dissolved potassium hydroxide;
- and
- (B) dissolved magnesium cations, calcium cations, or both magnesium and calcium cations, in a minimal concentration of about 0.030 moles per kilogram of the composition, the intermediate length carboxylate salts of said calcium and/or magnesium cations having a solubility of not greater than 0.15 grams per liter in water at 25 degrees Celsius, wherein the ratio of moles of dissolved magnesium cations, calcium cations, or both magnesium and calcium cations to moles of dissolved potassium cations is from about 0.010:1.00 to about 0.145:1.00,
- the aqueous liquid alkaline cleaning composition having a molar ratio of sodium cations to potassium cations of not more than 0.17:1.00 when the aqueous liquid alkaline cleaning composition further contains dissolved sodium cations.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.